To continue: The 'fishes' in 6a certainly are not true fishes, but symbols. In GD38 I have tried to make clear why fishes were used as symbols for heavenly bodies.

Here in the Matariki calendar question arises (like fishes from the deep): who are these 'fishes', are they symbols of the sun, of the moon or symbols of Matariki?

I guess (but do not know) that the sun is meant. Because his role is so central in the rongorongo texts. Let's take a new look at the 'sun boat' in the form of a 'fish'.

"The image is that of a reed boat with a whale's or sea monster's head at the bow, and a skull-like mask at the stern. At the top of the stern is a five-sided umu, or Easter Island fireplace, and on deck is a hare paenga, or lenticular reed house, with a square doorway on the starboard side. On the same side, a wide channel surrounded by a V-shaped groove leads down from the deck aft." (Heyerdahl 3)

We are now better equipped to understand this 'fish' than when we saw him earlier. I would now suggest that: 1) The head at the bow is the sun with mouth open (devouring time) and the head at the tail end is the sun as Makemake (devourer of souls). 2) The umu on top near the tail end is five-sided because there are five dark nights in between the true years when new fire must be ignited. 3) The V-shaped groove is haga, the mark of darkness when the year is near its end. 4) The stripe (not mentioned by Heyerdahl) beginning at the mouth and ending at haga is the regular 'year' (henua), starting at summer solstice and ending at winter solstice; this is the 'starboard' (right) side of the 'fish' (i.e. the other side of the 'fish' ought to be 'summer'). 5) The square 'door' into the 'hare paenga' is the square 'earth' in the 'shell' of the sky.